Cheese Fondue

Cheese fondue has a bit of an unknown past.No one can account for the starting point with certainty.What is known is that it originated in Switzerland as a means of melting down hardened cheese.

The word "fondue" means "to melt" and was a classic dish among the peasants.

The most traditional of the cheese fondue recipes is made by mixing the wonderful fondue cheeses Emmenthaler and GruyÃ¨re together and adding wine.All the ingredients were placed into a communal pot.Brandy is the last ingredient added to this delicious traditional cheese fondue that was then used as a dip for breads and crusts that had been stale.During such difficult times it was important to make excellent use of all the food one had!

Cheese fondue came well before chocolate fondue. Brillat-Savarin, a French gastronome, made mentions of cheese fondue within his writings that are dated 1825.Chocolate fondue; however, was not created until 1964.

Cheese fondue was made very popular in The United States between 1950 and 1970.It was served at all the best dinner parties.

The past is repeating itself as cheese fondue pot sales are increasing rapidly.As this fad once again peeks, learn a version of the more traditional cheese fondue so that you can serve it at your own posh dinner parties.

Ingredients:

1 Loaf of stale French bread

1/2 Pound of grated Emmenthaler cheese, making 2 cups (may also be referred to as Emmentaler or Emmental cheese)

1/2 Pound of grated GruyÃ¨re cheese, making 2 cups

2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

1 Garlic clove

1 Cup of white wine

2 Tablespoons of kirsch (Cherry Brandy)

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

A dash of salt

A dash of white pepper

A dash of grated nutmeg

Fondue pot

Fondue forks

This recipe will serve about 6 adults

Step 1:

All of the bread should be cut into cubes with crust attached to each piece of bread.

The bread should be a little dried out or stale.If need be, you can pop the bread into the oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, crisping the bread just enough.

Step 2:

Coat the cheese with the cornstarch by tossing it.

Make sure the cheese has been completely coated.

Step 3:

Rub the garlic on the inside of a 2 quart pot.

Coat the insides of the pot very well.You may want to wear some protective gloves to protect your hands from the garlic smell.

Step 4:

Add the wine and kirsch (cherry brandy) to the fondue pot.

Cook for 10 minutes on the lowest heat setting that will allow the cheese melt without boiling.It's important for the mixture to not boil!

Step 5:

Add the cheeses.Continuously stir everything together until the cheese has melted.

Step 6:

The remaining ingredients should be added now.Stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.

Step 7:

Transfer your cheesy mixture to a fondue pot and serve hot.

Gather your friends and dip the bread that you have cubed and enjoy!

Tips:

If you don't have a fondue pot and aren't quite ready to go out and purchase one, you can still have delicious fondue!Use your microwave instead.Replace the fondue forks with regular salad forks and you're ready to go.However, you might have to reheat your fondue from time to time if you aren't using a fondue pot.